Chimeria
by Padfoot7567
Summary: Lost adventure of Odysseus and his men as they try to return home. One-shot.


_**I love it when your English essay turns out to be writing a fanfiction. Just makes my day.**_

_**The Odyssey (c) Homer**_

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Odysseus and his men had left the Island of the Cyclopes and had been traveling on relatively smooth waters for nine days before they reached land again. When they landed, Odysseus was unsure of the island or its inhabitants. So, along with three of his strongest warriors, he went out to discover what lived on the island, leaving the rest of his men to fish on the rocky coast.

Odysseus and his men left, weapons at the ready, wary of even the slightest rustle. They had become battle-ready, if not from their years in Troy, then from their adventures sailing home. The island they landed on was a wasteland, with rough, scraggly, low-lying bushes and large rock formations that towered above their path. The ground was dry and dusty, giving way beneath their feet as they walked. The sun was harsh and unforgiving, any streams they crossed had long ago dried up.

Odysseus was about to give the signal to return to their ships, when he spotted movement ahead, behind a low row of bushes. Putting a finger to his lips, he glided forward silently, his men following close behind.

He crouched low to the ground, slinking forward like a snake, clutching a spear in one hand, balancing himself with the other. He was about to reach the bushes, when the rustling stopped. Odysseus froze, praying to the gods that his men had the sense to do so as well. He chanced a glance over his shoulder, looking out of the corner of his eye, to see his men pressed flat against the ground, weapons gripped firmly in their hands. He turned his attention back to the bushes when they began to rustle again. He looked up to see a head appearing behind the bush, but from the angle he was laying, it was hard to tell much more. Whatever it was, though, it was big. Behind him, he heard someone catch their breath.

Carefully, he moved backward until he could get a good view of whatever had startled his men. Craning his neck, he got his first look at the creature. It was large, made of a gold metal that glinted in the harsh sunlight. Every few seconds, it let out a hiss, followed by a steam of smoke. It had two heads, the larger of the two was a massive lion, with a mane made of spiked metal, while the smaller was of a goat, with long, curved horns. Its eyes were a dark crimson color, which glowed faintly at the center. A pair of long, serrated fangs extended from the lion's upper jaw. There was a loud hiss, followed a moment later by a mechanized cobra rising from where the beast's tail should have been.

Odysseus froze. It was a chimera, but one made of stone and metal, forged by Hephaestus. He began to back away slowly, trying not to make a sound. The chimera seemed to be more intent on what it was doing than on the men who had stumbled upon it.

It seemed that they were in the clear, when one of his men had the misfortune to set loose a few stray rocks. The chimera's heads shot straight up, its crimson eyes flashing. It turned its lion head to face the four warriors, snarling in fury. It took one step forward, crushing the bushes beneath a massive paw, unsheathing razor sharp claws.

Odysseus leapt to his feet, turning, and racing for the ship. His men didn't hesitate to follow, sprinting to catch up. The chimera let out a roar and bounded after the retreating men. With a snarl, hiss, and flash of metal, it caught one of Odysseus's men, shaking him like a ragdoll, before pulling him to the ground.

Not one of them paused as they raced for the ships. As the shore line came into view, Odysseus began to shout to his men to prepare the ships. At first they hesitated, unsure of the need to leave so quickly. When they noticed that there were only three men returning, they began to prepare the ships.

Odysseus and the two men slid more than ran down the rocky slope leading to the coastline, dislodging more than a few stones along the way. They began to shout as they ran, waving their arms wildly above their heads, spears lying forgotten on the rocky path.

They had reached the ships when a loud snarl from behind stopped them. Poised at the top of the cliff was the chimera, gleaming harshly in the light. It snorted, tossing its head from side to side and pawing the ground. Odysseus slapped the back of the nearest man, startling them from their stupor. He pointed to the front of the ship, before adjusting the sail.

The chimera let out a howl, flinging itself down the steep rock face, its gears whining under the strain. It pulled up short, once it hit the shore, digging its claws into the loose sand to stop itself. They had cleared the beach, but the chimera wasn't finished yet.

It opened its lion's mouth as a glow began to form. With a hum of machinery, it opened its mouth, letting loose a stream of white hot flames. They leapt from its mouth, as if they had a mind of their own, catching the last of Odysseus's ships leaving the coast. In a matter of seconds, the ship had caught fire, burning up in a blaze of glory. The men turned to Odysseus', silently asking if they should try to help. Odysseus shook his head slowly from side to side.

The men silently filed to their positions on the oars, the island and the burning ship growing smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely.

On the shore, the chimera watched them leave with intense, burning eyes.


End file.
